The United Nations human rights chief says his office has received credible reports of widespread human rights violations during the recent outbreak of violence in Syria’s southern Suweida province, where nearly 600 people have reportedly been killed since July 12.
According to a statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, the abuses include summary executions, arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of homes, and mass displacement. The reported perpetrators include members of Syria’s security forces, armed actors affiliated with the interim government, and local Druze and Bedouin groups.
“This bloodshed and the violence must stop,” Türk said in the official statement published July 18 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “There must be independent, prompt, and transparent investigations into all violations, and those responsible must be held to account, in accordance with international standards.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said Thursday that it had confirmed 594 deaths. Among the dead were 300 Druze, including 154 civilians and 146 fighters; 257 government personnel; 18 Bedouin fighters; and three Bedouin civilians who were reportedly killed by Druze factions.
SOHR added that at least 83 Druze civilians were summarily executed by government-affiliated forces.
The violence began after fighting erupted between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in Suweida on July 12. Government forces entered the city on July 14, citing a need to restore order. However, their presence was quickly met with allegations of extrajudicial killings and attacks on civilians.
On July 16, the interim government announced a ceasefire and agreed to withdraw military forces, transferring responsibility for security to local religious elders and factions.
S. #Syria: tribal mobilization shows no signs of slowing down.
Convoys continue pouring into #Suwayda tonight, reinforcing thousands of fighters from more than 20 tribes.
The phenomenon is escalating beyond control – an unprecedented development in Syria’s modern history.… https://t.co/Rtntx035IX pic.twitter.com/TJdGRGX78k— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) July 18, 2025
In one of the most documented incidents, the UN human rights office confirmed the killing of at least 13 people during a family gathering on July 15 by armed individuals linked to the interim authorities. Six more men were summarily executed near their homes the same day.
The UN also recorded the public humiliation of a Druze man whose moustache, a cultural symbol of honor in the Druze community, was forcibly shaved.
Imagine a jihadi storming your home, shaving your grandfather’s mustache as a form of humiliation, and you’re forced to stand there and watch.
That’s what’s going on Syria right now. pic.twitter.com/kC7d5gCM6g
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 18, 2025
Medical personnel inside Suweida’s main hospital also reported extreme conditions. Dr. Omar Obeid, head of the Suweida division of Syria’s Order of Physicians, told AFP that the facility had received more than 400 bodies since Monday, July 14. “There’s no more space in the morgue, the bodies are out on the street,” he said in an interview published July 18
Obeid added that three of his colleagues were killed, including a surgeon shot inside the hospital while preparing for surgery. “They shot him in the head. Then they called his wife and told her: your husband was wearing a surgical cap — it’s red now,” he said
🇸🇾 – Scenes from As Suwaida National Hospital earlier, where violent clashes can be heard. pic.twitter.com/uHvPohTEzU
— Military Observer (@MilitaryObs2222) July 15, 2025
In a speech Thursday, interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said his government would hold perpetrators accountable. “We are determined to hold accountable anyone who wronged or harmed our Druze brethren. They are under the protection and responsibility of the state,” Sharaa said in a televised address.
